St John's College- Maryland Reviews

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Naga from Knoxville, TN

07/01/2011

Reviewer is A current student here.

8 out of 8 people found this review useful.
1 of 5

Categories

Comments

Great for these types of students

Students with an immense desire to learn about a variety of subjects. Students that not only quest for knowledge but enjoy the social aspects of life too.

Tips for prospective students

Visit the college, sit in on the classes, and be open to speaking your opinions and changing them when faced with a better option! The school is very social and intimate and I suggest you learn to be comfortable with other people and not argue your own points without adequate support. Get in contact with students and talk about the different aspects of the school.

Bang for the buck

The school is very expensive, depending on your financial status. Since the school's aid is based solely on need, the aid you get is variable. But, even then, the atmosphere and experience the school offers are both worth the tuition.

Am enjoying being here

I've enjoyed the college a great deal. The classes, tutors and students are all excellent and appeal to my inquisitive side. The town that the college is set in is nice and there are many unique places nearby and, to top the geography off, you're 30 minutes away from both Baltimore and DC. The social atmosphere is amazing and none of the clubs charge you to join. You can join clubs that include language, dance, sports, martial arts, poetry, writing, etc. The school is really the place to be if you've the personality and interests of the Renaissance Man.

Am learning a lot

At St. John's the program is fixed but the tutors add a specific flavor to each class. In your freshman year you take a course learning about languages which accompanies the learning of Ancient Greek. You also study Euclid's elements and Ptolemy's conception of the heavens. There isn't an emphasis on the history though you'll get plenty of it to accompany the works you'll read. In my freshman year alone I learned a great deal about Logic, Geometry, the history of Greece, many branches of Philosophy, Ancient Greek, English grammar and etymology, some Music Theory, I've improved my singing a great deal as well as learned about Biology, classical Physics including Hydraulics. This is just the freshman year and there is a saying at the college that, as a Johnnie, you'll learn more in a single week than many do in a year. While this is an exaggeration the point in that you do learn a great deal at the college and you do it in such a way that you enjoy every moment of it if you've even the slightest interest in knowing.

Afua from Annapolis, MD

Though very few cases of theft, sexual abuse or general security problems are reported, students will be on the safer side by walking in groups at night or staying indoors.

Greek Life

With great books at our door step we gain deeper understanding of human behavior as well as the changes that have occured.

Clubs and Activities

there are a variety of exciting activities to partake in. At St. John's College one is sure to fit in perfectly in any slot he or she desires to be in. Activities range from Waltz parties, to choirs, sports and cross-fit to student government activities.

Great for these types of students

St. John's College is great for all students who understand the program. It is an inviting opportunity for people who want to explore the world using books as a lens-grasping every detail in its most accurate form.

What to do for fun

Waltz parties are always fun to attend. Enjoy soccer games on Friday's which are open to all. Walk downtown and enjoy the city of Annapolis.

Food and Dining

Food is always in abundance. It is up to the student to explore the dining hall like he would his books and following his exploration choose what seems best to him. The Dining hall is big enough to accommodate every admitted and visiting student.

Dorm Life

Students either live in pairs or singly in a room. These are spacious and protect the privacy of the individual to the greatest extent. Any student can request a change of room at any time of the semester and is sure to be attended to.

Academic Rigor

Every student in St. John's is engulfed in the curriculum. learning does not end in the class, but is carried through times in the dining hall, on the field and even in our dreams. that is how much we enjoy what we do while acknowledging it's importance and practicality.

Tips for prospective students

Understanding the St. John's curriculum is one thing and appreciating it is another. However if you are able to grasp both of these aspects of learning under this curriculum then you sure belong to the St. John's community.

In three sentences

St. John's College is a haven of great thinkers. Here everyone's view is respected.We understand what we do and we love to be Johnnies.

Philosophers, enthusiasts, students who've always thought there was a better way to do education, readers.

Share any unusual traditions or locations on campus

Most of these are funner to find out on your own, but I will say that at the end of the year we play Spartan Mad Ball: a game with a ball, two goals, and the only rules are no shoes, weapons, live animals, or vehicles. The game ends after three hospitalizations, one death, or three goals.

Bang for the buck

Don't let the tuition scare you off at first glance, the college offers need based aid.

What to do for fun

There are a million clubs, and always someone dying to talk to you about the latest seminar reading. Freshmen are encouraged to join King William's Players or poetry nights. There are also swing dances or waltz parties seemingly every other night as well as the odd reality party which is a bit more wild.

Food and Dining

There is always something to find that you'll like, but problems arise when that something is the same thing for a month. I'm a vegetarian, which can be difficult, but if you become a hunter-gatherer-artist of the dining hall you'll be fine. Meal hours are that of a retirement home.

Dorm Life

The bathrooms are rather terrifying, but the rooms are charming. Your mileage may vary.

Academic Rigor

This is contested all the time due to the nature of the program, but if you don't work hard you are certainly not going to make it through the four years.

Tips for prospective students

Sit in on a class. If you find yourself straining to keep from speaking, that is a good sign that you could belong here.

In three sentences

St. John's is not for everyone; the buildings, books, and ideas are old. The curriculum does not prepare you for a job, but prepares you to prepare yourself for anything. At the risk of sounding trite, there is nothing else like this school and it can change your life for the better if you let it.

Jennifer from Annapolis, MD

06/08/2012

Reviewer is A current student here.

3 out of 3 people found this review useful.
4 of 5

Categories

Comments

Greek Life

Our college is 500 strong. And total. In short, we may as well be the entire polity and the Greek life, so in being one fraternity of students we really do not need several. We do not affiliate ourselves with any Fraternity or Sorority chapters.

Clubs and Activities

Because of the open and inviting atmosphere of the college, I have been able to maintain membership in at least seven different clubs on campus. While it was trying to do so sometimes, the connection I had to the campus life was that much stronger because I could participate in so many things in addition to the wonderful education that I recieve.

Great for these types of students

Motivated and Self-Driven, Literary and Book-Loving, People who love expressing and listening to thoughts.

Share any unusual traditions or locations on campus

Every year, we have an April croquet match against our neighbors, the midshipmen from the US Naval Academy across the street from our campus. It's a great way for the college and the Academy to socialize in their spring best, and St. John's has usually won these tournaments for the past thirty years.

Bang for the buck

I have said it over and over, but I really mean to impress the fact that for me, this has been the best ROI that I have seen for any education. The Program is what you make of it, and if you put in your best, you will receive the best. Inasmuch as we are a bubbled-in school, St. John's ends up being very much a real-life simulator for yourself. Having experieced it, I know that I am very much prepared for my life ahead knowing that there is unpredictability in life but I still have the choice as to how I can meet that unpredictability.

What to do for fun

Annapolis is the best boating town that there is. Main street is full of the night life and Washington D.C. is only a little over an hour away, providing quick convenient access to several activities, made really easy should you own a car. Baltimore is also an hour to the north, with 4-hour bus rides available to New York City for a weekend getaway. We are highly connected with several places on the east coast if you should want to get away from campus. However, campus life is, to me one of the most prized things at this college. There is so much to do throughout the week and dances are regularly held at least once a month on Saturdays. There are so many extracurricular activities that are open to students such as myself that I barely find the time to leave campus.

Food and Dining

Not the best, but certainly a lot better than some of the major university dining options I've seen and experienced. The Bon Appetit people are so nice and they cook pretty well for our small college. I have been able to effectively manage my diet for whatever changes it needs throughout the year. Vegetarian and some vegan options are available.

Dorm Life

Being in the marshy East, there are problems with mold and mice everywhere. St. John's dorms do an effective job of keeping these pesky issues at bay. The dorms are a collcetion of modern and classic architecture from the 19th and 18th centuries. Very charming. Residential life does a great job grouping like interests with enough options for choosing where on campus you want to live.

Academic Rigor

As I have said before, this education is challenging. The Program requires long readings, and you will read, on average, approximately 200 pages per week. There are several papers to be written for tutorials over the course of the semesters, and and end of the year paper for your first three years. In other words, a lot of writing, reading, and patience to get through it all is required. Long day hours, sometimes shortened sleep hours. I believe that the work is a worthwhile investment, especially for the amount of money we have to pay to be here.

Tips for prospective students

Do not be afraid to be wrong. It is only natural because we are human, and St. John's will show you by its very nature how it feels to be right and wrong. The great thing about this place, and sometimes the roughest thing to deal with, is confronting yourself and figuring out the kind of person that you want to be. If you are ready to see this view of yourself through the eyes of hundreds of generations of great authors, then this is the education for you and it will build your life and the lives of the others around you substantially.

In three sentences

It is a life changer. It challenges you to not only learn how to learn but also to value a place in the world wondering at the world. I would be lost without this education.

Melody

Reviewer is Accepted here and planning to attend soon.
Reviewer has been to campus.

2 out of 2 people found this review useful.
5 of 5

Categories

Comments

Campus Safety

It is a safe location, with camus security and an open dialogue between staff and the students, which creates a safer environment.

Greek Life

The only Greek life at St. Johns is the rigorous Ancient Greek language tutorials and the study of Ancient Greek literature (Plato, etc.). There are no fraternities or sororities.

Clubs and Activities

There are many intramural sports and activities. The focus however is on the Great Books, not a football team or athletics. St. Johns is best for intellectual students, wanting to discuss the Great Books and ask the Bigger Questions. Rather than someone hoping to join the NFL through college football fame.

Great for these types of students

Intelligent, curious, those wanting to be challenged academically.

Share any unusual traditions or locations on campus

Don Rag--you can read about it here: http://www.stjohnscollege.edu/parents/AN/letterhome/donrag_f08.shtml

Bang for the buck

The problem with St. Johns is the cost! It is quite expensive, but they do have on campus jobs available, merit and financial need scholarships. You can also get loans.

What to do for fun

The town is really great, it's small and beautiful, right on the water. There is plenty to do.

Food and Dining

The food and dining options are good, not amazing, but good for a college. They offer made to order sandwiches and omelets most lunches, and have vegetarian and special dietary needs options as well.

Dorm Life

Dorm life is average. There is the stated expectation that students be quiet upon request, and that the need to study in quiet be respected over the urge to engage in load activity that might distract fellow students.

Academic Rigor

The academic rigour embraced at St. Johns should be given more than 5 stars. It was ranked more rigorous than Harvard or Yale in one review of academic rigour. Discussion based, there aren't right answers so much as there are important, bigger questions to be asked and explored. St. Johns follows the mandatory Great Books curriculum. Ancient Greek, French, maths beginning with Euclid, the Great Books through seminar and tutorials, the sciences, etc. It isn't easy but it's very rewarding. Since everyone is reading or has read the same things, you can always find help from other students and tutors in areas you're struggling with.

Tips for prospective students

Make sure you're ready to be challenged and stretched fully (academically). Visit the school and ask questions. Visit the website and read everything. Do the overnight, where you'll be able to sit in classes and a seminar. Don't be afraid to do a second overnight.

In three sentences

A highly intellectual, academically rigorous environment. A pre-determined, everyone takes the same classes, Great Books curriculum. Located in a beautiful town, near the Naval Academy.

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